Saturday night, October 26th was supposed to see Cody Jinks celebrating his latest #1 record After The Fire at the Nacogdoches County Expo Center in the oldest town in Texas, with Texas country band Flatland Cavalry opening the show. However a serious threat received by the venue targeting the event was alarming enough to cancel the event.
What is “Ameripolitan”? It’s an effort to support artists and bands that are too country for country, and that carry a prominent roots music influence. The nominees for the 2020 Ameripolitan Award have been announced in 13 separate categories. One shakeup for the awards in 2020 is there will be no “Outlaw” categories.
Devastating songwriter and performer John Moreland recently announced the release of his fifth record called LP5 due out February 7th, 2020, and released a new song as well called “East October.” Along with the new album will come a tour in 2020, with the initial dates just released. He’s gives some new insight into the new album.
“It really is a representation of what we’re trying to do here, which is connecting the greatest music in Austin with country music in a greater sense,” Bruce Robison says about the upcoming compilation. Though all the names and songs are worth getting excited over, it’s Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker that has many talking.
The biggest piece of news to come out of the official announcement of the Circle Network is that it will finally mark the return of the Grand Ole Opry to television. Right now all they’re promising is a “…weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry.” This will be the first time the Opry returns to television in decades.
Without any label—mainstream or independent—with no major distribution and virtually no radio play or push in the media, the first of two new album from country music artists Cody Jinks called After The Fire has gone #1 in country music in pure album sales, and #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart when factoring in streaming numbers.
If you didn’t get your fill of country music history from the recent Ken Burns PBS documentary on the subject, the dramatic film Patsy & Loretta will premier on the Lifetime channel on Saturday (10-19). Though other films have touched on the careers of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn as they intertwined in the early 60’s exclusively.
Man, there’s nothing better to get your country music pants going crazy like a good ol’ supergroup, and it appears we got a new one that’s formed right under our noses. Called The Panhandlers, it’s not in reference to vagrants, it pertains to that flat-ass piece of land in West Texas that sticks up like a chimney pipe on the map.
For those fans of songwriting that hits so hard you’re apt to fold in two and end up in a fetal position on the floor, John Moreland has been one of your favorite poisons over the last few years. Those who crave Moreland like a drug had to feel their internal clocks ringing that he was about due for another record.
“‘Country Squire’ is 100% what I consider ‘real’ country. We have to share a space that’s been taken over—infiltrated, in a sense—by pop country. If you’re going to be in that space, on those charts, you’re going to share the space with those people. But that’s the only way to take the lunch table back.”
Steve Cash, an original member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and co-writer of the band’s two biggest hits “If You Wanna Get To Heaven” and “Jackie Blue,” passed away Sunday, October 13th at the age of 73 after a prolonged illness. He is the first original member of the iconic and influential band to pass away.
The reward is now up to $3,000 for the return of the legendary “Big Red” guit-steel guitar owned by country music performer Junior Brown. Burglarized from a vehicle parked at a hotel in North Attleboro, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 6th, the legendary instrument has been the signature of Junior Brown for nearly 35 years.
Many of the scheduled dates for the upcoming “The Music of Randy Travis” tour have been canceled. The unique collaboration putting together many of the original members of the Randy Travis backing band with actor and singer James Dupré at center stage was scheduled to make 12 separate appearances from mid October to November.
Every Friday, more and more killer albums just keep coming, especially lately, and at such a rapid pace that it’s hard to keep on top of it all. That’s part of the point of keeping the Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist, so you can listen your way through staying informed about the latest songs and albums being released in country and roots.
Full-time Navy enlistee turned country music songwriting sensation Zach Bryan has acquired some big muscle behind him to help forward his burgeoning music career. It’s not just fans who’ve been paying attention to his rapid ascent. Managers, booking agents, and labels have been hot on the trail of the Tulsa, Oklahoma native.
A piece of iconic country music history has been stolen. Country guitar-playing legend Junior Brown’s legendary “guit-steel” guitar was burglarized from a vehicle parked at a hotel in North Attleboro Massachusetts on Sunday, October 6th. Music fans in the area are asked to be on the lookout for the unique instrument.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have another name you should make sure to include in the mix whenever speaking about the wild resurgence of independent music shaking up mainstream country, and it’s the Southern rock and country band out of east Texas known as Whiskey Myers. Releasing their fifth record on September 27th…
Bass player Larry Junstrom, who was one of the founding members of preeminent Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the long-time bass player for .38 Special, has passed away at the age of 70. A classmate of Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Bob Burn, he helped form Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964.
Man, the Academy of Country Music sure knows how to soft pedal the excitement behind some of their awards. Recently they’ve been unveiling their ‘Decade’ awards, stringing them out over months instead of having an event to announce them, surprising artists backstage at gigs and shoving an award in their face as a few flashbulbs go off.
The original Willis Alan Ramsey album released in 1972 is the stuff of legend. Considered one of the very foundations of the Austin music scene that was just starting to emerge as a point of national interest at the time, the enigmatic songwriter recorded 11 original songs for Leon Russell’s Shelter label, and they would go on to be covered…
Sturgill Simpson made his fourth appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast Monday night (9-30), and revealed that he and Tyler Childers will be touring together in 2020. The tour is said to be about 40 dates, and will be behind the new album Sound & Fury Sturgill Simpson just released. Ahead of the tour, Sturgill Simpson is playing six club dates.
When the Ken Burns documentary was first announced a few years ago, the hope was the film could act like a big reset button on the status of country music, and give a boost to many of the songs and artists abandoned by radio in the present day. It has been a big boon in sales and streams for many of the classic country artists featured.
It’s dizzying enough trying to keep up with all the great releases in country and roots music, especially with the kind of super release days we’ve been experiencing lately where eight to ten highly-anticipated titles come out at the same time. the Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed of all the best songs and albums.
If you wanted to see Tyler Childers perform at the picturesque Red Rocks Amiptheater in Morrison, CO just outside of Denver this Monday, September 30th, well tough titty, because the show sold out months ago. But even if you couldn’t get a ticket or convince your boss to give you time off to make it to the show, you’re in luck.